Preview — The Cartoons
by Flannery O'Connor

The Cartoons

Flannery O'Connor was among the greatest American writers ofthe second half of the 20th century; she was a writer in the Southern tradition of Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, and Carson McCullers, who wrote such classic novels and short stories as Wise Blood, The Violent Bear it Away, and A Good Man is Hard to Find. She is perhapsas well known for her tantalizing brand ofFlannery O'Connor was among the greatest American writers ofthe second half of the 20th century; she was a writer in the Southern tradition of Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, and Carson McCullers, who wrote such classic novels and short stories as Wise Blood, The Violent Bear it Away, and A Good Man is Hard to Find. She is perhapsas well known for her tantalizing brand of Southern Gothic humor as she is for her Catholicism. That these tendencies should be so happily married in her fiction is no longer a surprise. The real surprise is learning that this much beloved icon of American literature did not set out to be a fiction writer, but a cartoonist. This seems to be the last well-kept secret of her creative life. Flannery O'Connor: The Cartoons, the first book devoted to the author's work in the visual arts, emphasizes O'Connor's most prolific period as a cartoonist, drawing for her high school and college publications in the early 1940s. While many of these images lampoon student life and the impact of World War II on the home front, something much more is happening. Her cartoons are a creative threshing floor for experimenting and trying out techniques that are deployed later with such great success in her fiction. O'Connor learns how to set up and carry a joke visually, how to write a good one-liner and set it off against a background of complex visual narration. She develops and asserts her taste for a stock set of character types, attitudes, situations, exaggerations, and grotesques, and she learns how to present them not to distort the truth, but to expose her vision of it.She worked in both pen & ink and linoleum cuts, and her rough-hewn technique combined with her acidic observations to form a visual precursor to her prose. Fantagraphics is honored to bring the early cartoons of this American literary treasure to a 21st century readership....more

Community Reviews

I happened o see this book on the new book display during my most recent visit to the library and couldn't resist borrowing it. O'Connor is high on my list of authors I really want to read and Southern authors I've missed completely.

This was an interesting and fun find. The cartoons date from the early 1940s when O'Connor was in high school and college and express her general and specific observations of life. Having also attended a small woman's college, though in the late 1960s, I was amused aI happened o see this book on the new book display during my most recent visit to the library and couldn't resist borrowing it. O'Connor is high on my list of authors I really want to read and Southern authors I've missed completely.

This was an interesting and fun find. The cartoons date from the early 1940s when O'Connor was in high school and college and express her general and specific observations of life. Having also attended a small woman's college, though in the late 1960s, I was amused and a bit astonished at similarities between our college worlds (at least my first 2 years before the walls began to fall).

In addition to the cartoons themselves, there is discussion of their place in her general story and as a precursor to and part of her developing fiction.

I did enjoy this, especially the cartoon, though I must confess to occasional skimming of the analysis for the "good parts." After reading this, I have a feeling that O'Connor would have absolutely no problem with that.

Recommended for those interested in Flannery O'Connor. Rating 3.5....more

Not really much to "read" in this book as it's mostly her cartoons, but I learned a few things about O'Connor in this short, interesting history. I had no idea how much she was into visual art, but I also learned about her lifelong love for feathered friends of all kinds, beyond the peacocks in her menagerie. One of my favorite pieces of trivia: She was quite fond of chickens. (I love chickens.) Admittedly somewhat self-deprecating, O'Connor called the fact that she taught a chicken to walk backNot really much to "read" in this book as it's mostly her cartoons, but I learned a few things about O'Connor in this short, interesting history. I had no idea how much she was into visual art, but I also learned about her lifelong love for feathered friends of all kinds, beyond the peacocks in her menagerie. One of my favorite pieces of trivia: She was quite fond of chickens. (I love chickens.) Admittedly somewhat self-deprecating, O'Connor called the fact that she taught a chicken to walk backward when she was five "the high point of her life." Seems that to understand this comment is to understand her sense of humor and fondness for the absurd. An enjoyable little day trip....more

The charicatures and cartoons were kinda cool. I liked how many of their faces looked annoyed.Their style was something that appeals to me: pretty simple but has an idea.I was initially delighted that at the end of the book there was a part about O'Connor herself.It turned out to be a drag since there really isn't much to say about her and it went on for about 30 pages. The two stars are for the cartoons.

Flannery O'Connor was a terrific cartoonist, similar to James Thurber in style.

In 1998 I visited the O'Connor library at Milledgeville and acquired photocopies of these cartoons. I hoped to publish them as a book, but was told the estate held the rights. It took a while, but someone else finally had the same idea and did a great job with the design and presentation of this hardcover volume.

Five-- The cartoons in this collection are charming, intelligent, and important to a community that was, in many ways, defined by war. World War II hit Flannery O'Connor's college, Georgia State College for Women, hard. Not only were rations severe (paper and certain foods were sent to the troops fighting in Europe before colleges, especially women's colleges), but the college was the base for thousands of women training for theI have to give this book a 4; it's an average of a five and a three.

Five-- The cartoons in this collection are charming, intelligent, and important to a community that was, in many ways, defined by war. World War II hit Flannery O'Connor's college, Georgia State College for Women, hard. Not only were rations severe (paper and certain foods were sent to the troops fighting in Europe before colleges, especially women's colleges), but the college was the base for thousands of women training for the war abroad. These cartoons depict the ambiance-- the zietgiest if you will-- of a community shaken by the sudden changes that war warrants. Brilliant work by an incredibly talented woman. The book's introduction and afterword focus in part on how O'Connor was nowhere near an expert in her cartooning, and it also emphasizes that these pictures add to her aura: here was a woman who was not only gifted in writing but artistry as well. (I know, of course, that writing itself is an art, but in this sense I use "artistry" to refer to drawing skills.) What these cartoons prove is the genius of Flannery O'Connor.

The structure of this collection bothered me a bit. The descriptions of the cartoons-- the largest portion of the book-- were in the back. It would be much easier if the blurb about each picture were NEXT to the picture, especially considering every even number page for a considerable section of the book was blank. Also, the afterword written by O'Connor scholar Kelly Gerald didn't focus on the cartoons as much as I wished. Though these problems are slight and can ultimately be seen as inconsequential (for the book DOES accomplish its goal of presenting the cartoons in a manner that is both informative and whimsical), they did bog it down a little.

Overall, this book is a nice collection of art that should in fact be studied along with O'Connor's fiction. Not only did the author use the same source material in some of her fiction, but she also used her artwork as a basis for her prose. Flannery O'Connor achieved with her writing what she did with her drawings: she showed what she believed and what she thought needed to be told. ...more

I have been a huge fan of Flannery O'Connor's literary output for a long time, but somehow it escaped my knowledge that she was, in and around her prose scribblings, also a practiced cartoonist. She did drawings for publications in her high school and college careers and became well-known among her peers for doing so. Her characters are a bit grotesque, fat and skinny in excess, bending at impossible angles, and all saying wry and ironic things to each other. Even if you don't care for comics, iI have been a huge fan of Flannery O'Connor's literary output for a long time, but somehow it escaped my knowledge that she was, in and around her prose scribblings, also a practiced cartoonist. She did drawings for publications in her high school and college careers and became well-known among her peers for doing so. Her characters are a bit grotesque, fat and skinny in excess, bending at impossible angles, and all saying wry and ironic things to each other. Even if you don't care for comics, if you love O'Connor's work you will recognize her point of view immediately.

Having said that, the way this book is set up is extremely weird. It presents all the cartoons, one per page with zero explanation, and then ends on a lengthy, dry epilogue with all the contextual information the reader lacked before. It will even refer to specific drawings that the author feels were particularly skilled or notably autobiographical, and then not reprint the drawing next to the reference, or even give a page number so you can glance back. Wouldn't the entire biographical section have been better implemented as a companion to the drawings instead?...more

There's a lot to like and learn here, and in the process I did develop a mad, posthumous crush on Flannery O'Connor. However, I have to classify this one as an exceedingly rare formatting FAIL from the good people at Fantagraphics Books, and that prevented this from being a fully enjoyable reading experience.

There isn't an excessive amount of O'Connor artwork (primarily linoleum cuts, but also some illustrations) in this volume, so it's necessarily padded out with appreciative essays. And here'There's a lot to like and learn here, and in the process I did develop a mad, posthumous crush on Flannery O'Connor. However, I have to classify this one as an exceedingly rare formatting FAIL from the good people at Fantagraphics Books, and that prevented this from being a fully enjoyable reading experience.

There isn't an excessive amount of O'Connor artwork (primarily linoleum cuts, but also some illustrations) in this volume, so it's necessarily padded out with appreciative essays. And here's the crux of the issue: The essay in the back, and especially an explanatory index of each image, add much needed context to the earlier cartoons. (These appeared in student publications and were often in response to current events on campus.) So why not incorporate that context on the earlier pages with the artwork? There's plenty of room, what with blank pages before every image. It would've really helped understand some of the jokes the first time through.

I wouldn't have minded at least a sample of O'Connor's original captions, in addition to the standardized type and punctuation that's presented.

All that being said, I was so impressed with the young O'Connor. I already knew her love of chickens, but I was so pleased to learn she was so smart, funny, sarcastic, and weird. A mousy dream girl! Forever thankful to Professor Sharon Dilworth at Carnegie Mellon University for assigning us to read "Good Country People," and I think it's high time for me to delve into O'Connor's fiction again. The cartoons left me wanting more....more

If these weren't by one of the most lionized American writers of the twentieth century, I doubt we'd be looking at them today. They are accomplished juvenalia, well enough conceived and rendered, but they are not exceptional. Many are so topical that any relevance they had has long faded (O'Conner produced these in high school and college, often taking as topics contemporary campus events). The project is not helped by its design: blank verso pages with two cartoons on the recto, and then notesIf these weren't by one of the most lionized American writers of the twentieth century, I doubt we'd be looking at them today. They are accomplished juvenalia, well enough conceived and rendered, but they are not exceptional. Many are so topical that any relevance they had has long faded (O'Conner produced these in high school and college, often taking as topics contemporary campus events). The project is not helped by its design: blank verso pages with two cartoons on the recto, and then notes at the end--wasteful of space and inconvenient for the reader. The biographical essay would have been more useful at the front of the book as well, I think, as it provides helpful context better known before seeing the cartoons. Inessential, except for O'Connor completists....more

When taking a tour of O'Connor's childhood home a few weeks ago, the tour guide remarked that this book was going out of print. I felt compelled to grab a copy, and though the book is nice to flip through, I can maybe see why the publisher is done with it. The organization of the book is bizarre. As other reviewers have noted, the descriptions for the cartoons are all at the back of the book, and so it feels a little tedious to read. Regardless, it's an excellent collection of O'Connor's artworkWhen taking a tour of O'Connor's childhood home a few weeks ago, the tour guide remarked that this book was going out of print. I felt compelled to grab a copy, and though the book is nice to flip through, I can maybe see why the publisher is done with it. The organization of the book is bizarre. As other reviewers have noted, the descriptions for the cartoons are all at the back of the book, and so it feels a little tedious to read. Regardless, it's an excellent collection of O'Connor's artwork. It's nice to get some insight into this dimension of one of my favorite authors, and it's a shame that this will probably go out of print. ...more

A collection of linoleum cut cartoons drawn by a student at the then Georgia State College for Women. It just so happens that the cartoonist was Flannery O'Connor, who would of course go on to write some of the most well-regarded fiction of the 20th century. It also just so happens that she drew many of these wry bits on the home front during WWII.

I'm sure there are more complete pictures and studies regarding the life and work of O'Connor, but I'm delighted this snapshot exists. No less importaA collection of linoleum cut cartoons drawn by a student at the then Georgia State College for Women. It just so happens that the cartoonist was Flannery O'Connor, who would of course go on to write some of the most well-regarded fiction of the 20th century. It also just so happens that she drew many of these wry bits on the home front during WWII.

I'm sure there are more complete pictures and studies regarding the life and work of O'Connor, but I'm delighted this snapshot exists. No less important: the cartoons are fun to look at....more

Flannery O'Connor is my favorite American author, so as a die-hard O'Connor completist, I had to pick this volume up from the local library and give it a read. It won't hold much interest for those who are not already deeply invested in O'Connor and her fiction, but for fans it is a fascinating insight into O'Connor's early development as an artist. Since it only take a mere half hour or so to go through it's not much of an investment. O'Connor's wit and humor is there, and many of the cartoonsFlannery O'Connor is my favorite American author, so as a die-hard O'Connor completist, I had to pick this volume up from the local library and give it a read. It won't hold much interest for those who are not already deeply invested in O'Connor and her fiction, but for fans it is a fascinating insight into O'Connor's early development as an artist. Since it only take a mere half hour or so to go through it's not much of an investment. O'Connor's wit and humor is there, and many of the cartoons touch on topics still important for college students. On the other hand, many of the jokes feel like inside jokes among the student body (as such college humor work is bound to be), so you can't expect to get everything. I enjoyed Kelly Gerald's commentary on how the cartoons and drawings fit into O'Connor's oeuvre and outlook. Overall, if you're a fellow O'Connor fan, check this one out from your local library and let yourself be immersed in the world of a middle Georgia women's college circa WWII....more

What can I say? I'm a Flannery O'Connor devotee, so this book with its new tid-bits makes me very happy. Yes, it's minor work in some ways, but these cartoons show O'Connor at her usual poignant and hilarious self. One of the things I have always admired about her is how herself she was. In my life, I am surrounded by writers and would-be writers, many of whom are obsessed with image and "being a writer." O'Connor, on the other hand, wrote out of a deep and sincere sense of her own and others' hWhat can I say? I'm a Flannery O'Connor devotee, so this book with its new tid-bits makes me very happy. Yes, it's minor work in some ways, but these cartoons show O'Connor at her usual poignant and hilarious self. One of the things I have always admired about her is how herself she was. In my life, I am surrounded by writers and would-be writers, many of whom are obsessed with image and "being a writer." O'Connor, on the other hand, wrote out of a deep and sincere sense of her own and others' humanity. Popularity was not her major motivation. She pulled no punches. I will always love her for that, and these drawings show she developed that attitude early on....more

notes..the difficulty of portraying gestureswarm linoleum easily cutlifelong obsession with birds (Pathe' did a short about her at 5, training a chicken to walk backwards)101..writerly advice: stop searching for the right technique, and just start lookingshe was very much a visual personsimilar to Thurber's line drawingsbuddy comedy influenced her narrative style & choice of characters (Benny & Eddie Anderson, Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello,..)WC Fields' The DentistOgden Nash

wnotes..the difficulty of portraying gestureswarm linoleum easily cutlifelong obsession with birds (Pathe' did a short about her at 5, training a chicken to walk backwards)101..writerly advice: stop searching for the right technique, and just start lookingshe was very much a visual personsimilar to Thurber's line drawingsbuddy comedy influenced her narrative style & choice of characters (Benny & Eddie Anderson, Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello,..)WC Fields' The DentistOgden Nash

Most humor does not stand up well over time. Whether I would have chuckled at O'Connor's comics were I alive at the time, I didn't find them particularly enjoyable, funny, or remarkable now. The intro essay by Barry Moser does contextualize the work well and increased my appreciation, and the concluding biographical essay may be of interest to some.

But unless you are especially interested in O'Connor's backstory, your time would be better spent reading or re-reading some of her prose.

An interesting look at another creative side of the great writer. However, I think these charming yet primitive linocuts for O'Connor's school papers probably wouldn't have received as much attention of they weren't by the writer of Wise Blood, etc. Sort of how John Lennon's doodles have achieved an inexplicable fame all their own. Still, a treat to review, showing Ms. O'Connor wasn't just about violence, racism, and peacocks.

This 112-page, soft-cover book reprints the cartoons that the famous writer Flannery O'Connor created for four student publications whileshe was a student at Georgia State College for Women during her undergraduate years, 1942-45, as well as the cartoons O'Connor created for the student newspaper of Peabody High School in Milledgeville. The book was published by Georgia College in 2010, and it may be ordered at http://gcsu.edu/flannerycartoons

This gave me a lot more insight into Flannery O’Connor - it also was an interesting look at her budding creative process. It is clear that the cartoons she drew gave way - and the process of them - grew into the novels and stories she wrote. There is a lot of insight about, in particular, her college years and the way that experience shaped her and gave her vehicles for expression. I found it very interesting and insightful. I’m very glad I read it.

There is hope for me yet! F O'C sort of started out making woodblock prints for her school newspapers! They're a bit sour and a bit funny, like her writing! Whoulda thunk. Well, probably most.Since they're for a girl's college newspaper in the 40s they are not entirely applicable or enjoyable outside of that context, but it is pretty cool that they're being recognized as an integral part of her body of work! Cool.

For any fan of Flannery O'Connor, this book certainly deserves a look. It focuses on linoleum cut cartoons that she created for high school and college publications. She mentions how art informs all creative thought, and the humor found in the content of her early cartoons is indicative of the nature of her writing in later years. I really enjoyed learning about this dimension of one of the most fascinating writers of Southern Gothic literature.

Before she was one of America's most celebrated fiction writers, Flannery O'Connor was an observant and sarcastic illustrator. This is the collection of her satirical linoleum block cuts complete with one-liner captions that were featured in The Peabody Palladium and The Corinthian, the student publications of her high school and college, respectively.

Clever and somewhat funny material created by Flannery O'Connor discussing her college days by using the comic medium... Before O'Connor was a writer, she wanted to be a comic book writer; and was quite good at it ! I didnt really read too much of the book, but just looked at the comics, which were pretty good.

Elliott Bay had this prominently displayed on the three-tier wooden rack of expensive artsy/local books RIGHT in front of the door as you walk in, and I grabbed it immediately. They know how to market.

Flannery O'Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1925. When she died at the age of thirty-nine, America lost one of its most gifted writers at the height of her powers. O’Connor wrote two novels, Wise Blood (1952) and The Violent Bear It Away (1960), and two story collections, A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955) and Everything That Rises Must Converge (1964). Her Complete Stories, published posthFlannery O'Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1925. When she died at the age of thirty-nine, America lost one of its most gifted writers at the height of her powers. O’Connor wrote two novels, Wise Blood (1952) and The Violent Bear It Away (1960), and two story collections, A Good Man Is Hard to Find (1955) and Everything That Rises Must Converge (1964). Her Complete Stories, published posthumously in 1972, won the National Book Award that year, and in a 2009 online poll it was voted as the best book to have won the award in the contest’s 60-year history. Her essays were published in Mystery and Manners (1969) and her letters in The Habit of Being (1979). In 1988 the Library of America published her Collected Works; she was the first postwar writer to be so honored. O’Connor was educated at the Georgia State College for Women, studied writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and wrote much of Wise Blood at the Yaddo artists’ colony in upstate New York. She lived most of her adult life on her family’s ancestral farm, Andalusia, outside Milledgeville, Georgia...more